The Raming Tea House Siam Celadon, Chiang Mai

A FINE CULTURAL GEM IN DOWNTOWN CHIANG MAI

The tea-room

Tapae Road is in the more modern section of town. This busy road goes from Tapae Gate in the old khlong side, there is an old colonial teak house that was renovated at the turn of this century.

Street view of the house

city to the Ping River. And there, right on the

The building architecture is fine in itself. There is also a gorgeous back-yard filled with trees and lush vegetation.

But what makes this place so special is that it is both a shop and a tea-room that turn it into a delightful spot to chill out.

The showroom displays an array of Siamese celadon items, which is worth the stop. Celadon is a form of glazed pottery with the color of jade. It was first invented in China but became popular in Korea and Japan. It was introduced to northern Thailand in the 12th century and has now been revived.

They also added a tea-room, which makes it a great place to sit down for a relaxing break. Tea originally comes from the south of China and has been a traditional drink in Thailand as well. They offer two kinds of locally grown tea: either black or jasmine green tea. But since northern Thailand is also growing coffee beans, it is also possible to taste their fine local brand there.

Rating Tea House Siam Celadon 

Tea set

Celadon pottery

Atrium

Khlong side view

Floor tiles

On the upper floor

View down on the atrium

Back Garden

Outside sitting

Celadon collction

LAMPHUN [ ลำพูน ]

A deep blue wat entrance

Lamphun, in the northern part of Thailand, was the last Mon kingdom before it became part of the Chiang Mai Lanna kingdom.

It was founded by a queen and is now the sleepy capital of a province bearing its name. Located about 25km south of Chiang Mai, it has lost most of its past grandeur with the exception of its many majestic temples, whose architecture reveals a notable singularity. 

The following photos display this feature as the town was getting ready to welcome the Loy Krathong  Festival.

One of the main wat compound in Lamphun

A 5-tiered tower in white and gold color.

A typical royal barge decorated for Loy Krathong

The wiharn guarded by a Naga

Prayer inside the wiharn

The red lanterns of Loy Krathong

Another imposing white temple of Lamphun

The traditional way to strike the hours

Interior of a wiharn

The main yard of the temple

A gilded chedi

Khon [โขน] Dance at the Thailand Cultural Centre

Thailand Cultural Centre Hall

The Khon is a traditional masked dance drama. It was originally performed at the court of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It is based on the Thai Ramakien drama, which is an adaptation of the Hindu Ramayana epics. The performance uses masks and elaborate costumes. 

The performance involves four sets of characters, male, female, monkeys and demons. It is the tale of

Khon actors

the struggle between the forces of good and evil. Ramayana depicts the story of Prince Rama. There are four main characters: the hero, the heroine, the ogre, and the monkey. The best-known characters in the story are the monkey warriors, the monkey god Hanuman, and Phra Ram.

This type of performance has been revived by Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother of Thailand and remains under royal patronage. Originally, the Khon dance was only performed by men. It combines many forms of art that include also a narrator and a piphat [ปี่พาทย์] ensemble (a Thai classical music featuring wind and percussion instruments). 

VDO sound of the choir

1

2

The actors at the finale

Mask display

Portrait of a dancer

Mask of a monkey

Mask of a demon

Khon actors on the scene at the end of the performance

YouTube - Interview à / in Paris

YouTube VDO

Interview réalisée au Jardin des Plantes (1h30)
This interview was made live at the Paris Botanic Garden in September 2018.